Bilderberg Meetings

The 60th Bilderberg Meeting will be held in Chantilly, Virginia, USA from 31 May - 3 June 2012. The Conference will deal mainly with political, economic and societal issues like Transatlantic Relations, Evolution of the Political Landscape in Europe and the US, Austerity and Growth in Developed Economies, Cyber Security, Energy Challenges, the Future of Democracy, Russia, China and the Middle East.Approximately 145 participants will attend of whom about two-thirds come from Europe and the balance from North America and other countries. About one-third is from government and politics, and two-thirds are from finance, industry, labor, education, and communications. The meeting is private in order to encourage frank and open discussion.

Bilderberg takes its name from the hotel in Holland, where the first meeting took place in May 1954. That pioneering meeting grew out of the concern expressed by leading citizens on both sides of the Atlantic that Western Europe and North America were not working together as closely as they should on common problems of critical importance. It was felt that regular, off-the-record discussions would help create a better understanding of the complex forces and major trends affecting Western nations in the difficult post-war period.The Cold War has now ended. But in practically all respects there are more, not fewer, common problems - from trade to jobs, from monetary policy to investment, from ecological challenges to the task of promoting international security. It is hard to think of any major issue in either Europe or North America whose unilateral solution would not have repercussions for the other.Thus the concept of a European-American forum has not been overtaken by time. The dialogue between these two regions is still - even increasingly - critical.

What is unique about Bilderberg as a forum is the broad cross-section of leading citizens that are assembled for nearly three days of informal and off-the-record discussion about topics of current concern especially in the fields of foreign affairs and the international economy; the strong feeling among participants that in view of the differing attitudes and experiences of the Western nations, there remains a clear need to further develop an understanding in which these concerns can be accommodated; the privacy of the meetings, which has no purpose other than to allow participants to speak their minds openly and freely.In short, Bilderberg is a small, flexible, informal and off-the-record international forum in which different viewpoints can be expressed and mutual understanding enhanced.

Bilderberg's only activity is its annual Conference. At the meetings, no resolutions are proposed, no votes taken, and no policy statements issued. Since 1954, fifty-nine conferences have been held. The names of the participants are made available to the press. Participants are chosen for their experience, their knowledge, and their standing; all participants attend Bilderberg in a private and not an official capacity.

Governance

Bilderberg is governed by a Steering Committee which designates a Chairman; members are elected for a term of four years and can be re-elected. There are no other members of the Bilderberg conference. The Chair's main responsibilities are to chair the Steering Committee and to prepare with the Steering Committee the conference program, the selection of participants. He also makes suggestions to the Steering Committee regarding its composition. The Executive Secretary reports to the Chairman.

Mayor Bloomberg is putting forth a ban on the sale of your favorite sodas over 16 ounces.

While the Board of Health still needs to sign off on it, it seems that it will likely go through like the ban on smoking and on trans-fats.

"A spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, Stefan Friedman, criticized the proposal as "zealous." He said officials should seek solutions that are actually going to curb obesity.

The association said in a statement that the ban will not address obesity because "soda is not driving the obesity rates."

(Source article below)

Doesn't this abuse of power seem unconstitutional to anyone else? No one's even defending the fact that the constitution gives us freedom of choice!

Don't you think that people are going to go out and buy more than one soda if they want to? ...Or will the police be enforcing the ban with martial law where people must be sent to FEMA camps if they disobey the bans!

This is so ridiculous!

Why not do something that will provide some benefit for society?

Perhaps start a program that will provide a certain amount of money from the state for meals for the homeless for each mile a shared cab drives in the city versus individual cars/taxis or some other mechanism that might provide help to society?

Instead, Bloomberg is providing negative attention to the state of New York and is providing punishment to all who enter in.

Great advertising for your tax dollars Mr. Bloomberg. Genius!

Now because Mr. Bloomberg has done such a great job of making New York such a desirable place to be, let's all flock there and relocate to this wonderful oasis of feel good. Don't you want to? I know I am going to put my house up for sale tomorrow and get my family and move to happy land.

I hate living among the free. I want to have my decisions made for me because I know that King and Ruler Bloomberg can make my decisions much better than I can. In fact, I am about to go running around my house right now, like a chicken with my head cut off, because I don't know which feet to put my shoes in. Do I put the right in the left or the left in the right or both in the right? For that matter, will someone please tell me which one is right?!!!! Someone PLEASE tell me what I am supposed to do!

King Bloomberg, I'll be awaiting your call.

-------------NYC plans to ban sales of sugary drinks over 16 ounces

Published May 31, 2012
FoxNews.com

The sin-tax sheriff is back on the job.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is proposing another ban on unhealthy foods. This time, he wants to outlaw super-sized sodas and other sugary drinks.

The first-in-the-nation ban, formally announced Thursday, would limit sweet drinks to 16 ounces at venues across the city ranging from restaurants to street carts to movie theaters -- that means those extra-large cup holders at Loews are about to get awfully lonely.

The ban, though, doesn't seem to take into account the obvious work-around. Want more than 16 ounces? Just buy two bottles. There's no Big Apple ban on doing that -- yet.